Hassan Rowhani, the Iranian President-elect, suffered his first bruising at
the hands of religious hardliners when several proposed appointments to his
new Cabinet were rejected by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.

Ayatollah Khamenei rejected his nominations for four ministries, including
Defence Minister and Intelligence Minister. Mr Rowhani, whose inauguration
is on Sunday, proposed known reformists for the posts but Mr Khamenei has
signalled his determination to keep the main security ministries in the
hands of hardliners.

Crucially, however, Mr Rowhani’s choice as Foreign Minister, the veteran
diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif, looks likely to be cleared by the Supreme
Leader.